An Idaho man was indicted on charges pertaining to child pornography in Alaska and arrested in late July, according to the Department of Justice.
Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano, 39, was indicted on federal felony charges of sexually exploiting children and production of child pornography, according to the DOJ.
Panagiotou-Scigliano arrived in Haines in 2015, moving from Idaho. There, he law enforcement officials allege he arranged for children he had been grooming for the purpose to visit the farm where he lived and exploited them for the purpose of producing sexually explicit photos and videos, according to the DOJ. Law enforcement officials also recovered photos and videos of sexual exploitation of children downloaded from the internet.
Panagiotou-Scigliano was arrested in Idaho on July 23, 2021, and is being held without bail pending extradition to Alaska, as ordered by a U.S. magistrate judge, according to the DOJ. The maximum sentence for the charges is 30 years in prison. Panagiotou-Scigliano is also charged in Idaho’s First Judicial District Court for sexual abuse of multiple child victims.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is leading the investigation, assisted by the Alaska State Troopers and local police departments in Alaska and Idaho, accordion to the news release. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Klugman is prosecuting the case. Anyone with more information about Panagiotou-Scigliano’s activities is asked to contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907)276-4441.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
